Canadians Fournier-Beaudry, Sorensen win 1st Grand Prix ice dance medal at Skate America

World champion Nathan Chen claimed his third consecutive victory at the Skate America Grand Prix in Las Vegas on Saturday by putting on a clinic in the free skate.

American Nathan Chen captures men's title, Canada's Keegan Messing finishes 4th

Canada's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen won bronze in the ice dance competition at the Cup of China on Saturday.  (Etienne Laurent/EPA-EFE/File)

Canada's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen won their first Grand Prix medal after finishing third in the ice dance competition at Skate America in Las Vegas on Saturday. 

Heading into the Free Dance, the duo, who hail from Montreal, were already in third place following their performance in Friday's Rhythm Dance competition.

Skating to Summertime by Chris Botti and David Foster as well as Michael Buble's rendition of Georgia On My Mind and Cry Me A River the pair secured their place on the podium with a total score of 197.53.

WATCH | Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen's free dance:

Fournier Beaudry, Soerensen grab 3rd place finish at Skate America

5 years ago
Duration 7:32
The Canadian duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen skated to a free dance score of 118.36 to finish 3rd overall in the ice dance event at Skate America.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States won their second consecutive title with their 209.55. While Russia's Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin took second with 206.57.

WATCH | Hubbell and Donohue's winning performance:

Americans Hubbell, Donohue capture ice dance title at Skate America

5 years ago
Duration 9:42
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue posted a combined score of 209.55 to win the ice dance title at Skate America for the 2nd consecutive year.

Chen claims 3rd consecutive win

World champion Nathan Chen claimed his third consecutive victory with a clinical free skate in the men's competition.

The 20-year-old American, skating to music by Elton John, earned a prolonged standing ovation from the adoring crowd after his flawless performance.

He did not receive any deductions and posted a technical score of 102.38, together with a presentation mark of 94.

Adding to his score from the short program, Chen recorded a total of 299.09, finishing 45 points clear of the runnerup, fellow American Jason Brown.

WATCH | Nathan Chen's winning performance:

Nathan Chen wins Skate America with strong performance

5 years ago
Duration 7:22
Nathan Chen of the United States win the men's event at Skate America with a total score of 299.09.

Russia's Dmitri Alieve finished third with 253.55, while Canada's Keegan Messing (239.34), who was in third following Saturday's short program, slipped to forth.

Despite his runaway win, Chen kept his feet on the ground afterwards, unlike during much of his performance on the ice.

"Most programs I make mistakes, so there are a few things I want to clean up, continue developing the programs as much as I can," he said in an interview.

WATCH | Keegan Messing's free skate:

Keegan Messing finishes 4th at Skate America

5 years ago
Duration 7:12
Canada's Keegan Messing places 4th at Skate America with a score of 239.34.

Peng and Jin win 1st Grand Prix pairs title

Earlier in the pairs competition, Chinese duo Cheng Peng and Yang Jin scored their first ISU Grand Prix victory.

"We've won several silver medals and we've been longing for a gold medal," Peng said.

"We put in a lot of effort and this gold medal is like a new starting point for us and will push us further. Hopefully we'll win many more."

WATCH | Peng and Jin claim pairs title:

Peng, Jin claim pairs title at Skate America

5 years ago
Duration 8:35
China's Peng Cheng and Jin Yang with the pairs event with a total score of 200.89

Canadians Camille Ruest and Andrew Wolfe finished in sixth place with a score of 155.16 points.

WATCH | Ruest and Wolfe's free skate:

Ruest, Wolfe place 6th in pairs at Skate America

5 years ago
Duration 7:05
Canada's Camille Ruest and Andrew Wolfe finish 6th in the pairs event with a total score of 155.16.

Shcherbakova soars to women's gold

In the women's competition, Russia's Anna Shcherbakova topped the field with a total score of 227.76. Compatriot Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (205.97) came third, while American Bradie Tennell (216.14) rounded out the podium in second.

WATCH | Shcherbakova lands 2 quads in victory:

Anna Shcherbakova lands two quad lutzes to win Skate America crown

5 years ago
Duration 7:46
15-year-old Russian Anna Shcherbakova put on a show in her senior Grand Prix debut as she landed a pair of quad lutzes on her way to 1st place at Skate America.

Canada's Veronik Mallet of Sept-Îles, Que., finished 10th. 

WATCH | Veronik Mallet's Free Skate:

Canadian Veronik Mallet places 10th at Skate America

5 years ago
Duration 7:39
Veronik Mallet skated to a 10th place finish at Skate America in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With files from CBC Sports